Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2019 i National Geographic Kids

Scotts Mills, Oregon Grumpy, mean, and blind, Bear the bobcat was friendless and alone at the sanctuary where he lived. Staff worried about his mental health … until they had an idea: Why not introduce him to an equally grumpy cat? That’s when Nairobi the caracal moved into an enclosure next door. Almost immediately, Bear started rubbing against the fence that separated them, cooing to the caracal. At first “Robi” ignored the bobcat, but soon the caracal offered some friendly tail swishing and rump wriggling. A few weeks later, staff opened the fence. Bear ran to Robi and started gently headbutting him. They quickly became besties—and more. Robi acted as Bear’s guide cat and was always just a nose length ahead of him. If the bobcat lost Robi, he’d chirp…

A wolf steps out onto a sandy beach. Catching a scent, it paws at the wet sand in search of a buried clam. Crunch! The wolf crushes the clam in its jaws and swallows. Still hungry, it splashes into the ocean waves and swims to a nearby island to find more food. Wolves on the beach might sound strange, but these special gray wolves have been living seaside for thousands of years. Known as coastal wolves, about 2,000 of these individuals make their homes among the islands and coastal rainforest of western British Columbia in Canada. (Another population lives in southeast Alaska.) “Their environment is so different from that of any other wolf,” wildlife researcher Chris Darimont says. “So they’ve had to adapt to this unique place.” Check out five…

Scientists have discovered that the same poison that causes awful symptoms—and even death—in people who have been bitten by a venomous snake can be turned into medicines. Here are a few examples. COPPERHEAD SYMPTOMS IF BITTEN: swelling, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, bleeding USED TO TREAT: breast cancer WESTERN RATTLESNAKE SYMPTOMS IF BITTEN: muscle twitches, swelling, low blood pressure, vomiting, difficulty breathing, bleeding USED TO TREAT: heart attacks GABOON VIPER SYMPTOMS IF BITTEN: cardiac arrest, fever, internal hemorrhaging, blistering, swelling USED TO TREAT: strokes BRAZILIAN PIT VIPER SYMPTOMS IF BITTEN: tissue death, bleeding, kidney failure USED TO TREAT: high blood pressure INDIAN COBRA SYMPTOMS IF BITTEN: swelling, bruising, paralysis, blistering, respiratory failure USED TO TREAT: arthritis KING COBRA SYMPTOMS IF BITTEN: drowsiness, difficulty breathing, limb paralysis, convulsions, headache, loss of…

TREE GOATS These goats will do a lot for a snack—that includes climbing to the top of a 30-foot-tall tree. Every summer the argan trees in southwest Morocco produce bitter-tasting fruit that the local goats love. And the goats are doing the humans a favor: When the goats, um, pass the undigestible nut inside the argan fruit, people collect the nuts to create an oil that can be used in hair products and for food. Thanks, goats! VOLCANO SHARKS When scientists dropped a deep-sea camera into the mouth of an active underwater volcano in the South Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands, they were shocked to discover three species of sharks swimming through water that’s too hot and acidic for human divers—scalloped hammerheads, silky sharks, and one super-rare Pacific sleeper…

THE WORD “SQUEAMISH” DESCRIBES A PERSON WHO IS SENSITIVE TO ANYTHING DISGUSTING, SUCH AS STEPPING IN DOG POOP ON THE STREET, GETTING A WHIFF OF ROTTEN FOOD, OR SEEING A SQUASHED SLUG. Curious about your own ability to withstand grossness? Take this just-for-fun quiz to find out where you score on the squeamishness scale! START HERE STOMACH OF STEEL Nothing grosses you out. NOTHING. In fact, we suspect you actually like all this gross stuff. And that’s OK, because someone in this world has to perform gory surgeries and catch hairy spiders without batting an eye. But don’t forget that things like puke and snot can be health hazards. Just make sure you wash your hands! CALM IN A (GROSS) CRISIS You’re a handy person to have around when things…

Draw a character from the Explorer Academy book series. Send us your original drawings: Nat Geo Kids—Academy Art Zone P.O. Box 98002 Washington, DC 20090-8002 Include your name, address, phone number, date of birth, a title for your drawing, a statement that it is your own work, and the name of your parent or guardian. Your parent or guardian must sign a release for publication if your illustration is selected. Submissions become the property of National Geographic Partners, and all rights thereto are transferred to National Geographic Partners. Submissions cannot be acknowledged or returned. Selection will be at the discretion of Nat Geo Kids.…

SO MANY POTTERS No muggles were allowed at West Byford Primary School in Perth, Australia, when 997 students gathered to break the record for the most Harry Potters in one place. The wannabe wizards all wore black robes and drew lightning scars on their foreheads. Wonder if anybody used polyjuice potion? FREAKY TREE This one giant banyan tree is so big, it looks like an entire forest when viewed from above. The massive 550-year-old structure holds the record for the greatest perimeter length for a tree, providing shade to some five acres of land. (About 20,000 people can fit under its canopy.) Located in India, the tree is an epiphyte, a plant that can grow on other plants. The tree drops its seeds from above and slowly invades other trees’ space, earning…

What’s that strange noise in the night? Is it the wind? Or something else? “When you encounter something scary, your brain releases chemicals,” psychologist Martin Antony says. “These chemicals make our hearts race, so we breathe faster and sweat. Your nervous system is preparing your body to either fight a threat or run away from it.” Scientists call this the “fight-or-flight” response. So which so-called spookiness makes us feel this way—and why? Discover what puts the eek! in these five freaky things. THE FEAR: SPIDERS SCIENTIFIC NAME: Arachnophobia SPOOKY SCIENCE: Humans have been afraid of spiders since our ancient human ancestors thought they carried deadly diseases. “Today, we know that’s not true,” psychology professor Kyle Rexer says. “But a lot of people still have incorrect ideas about how dangerous spiders…

THE CODE: SEMAPHORE Semaphore is a flag-based communication system in which letters are represented by the way a person holds two flags. Once used by sailors to send messages to other ships, today this code is often used to signal airplanes. See how the code lines up with the flag positions on the right. The flag positions can be hidden in any type of image. Below, we’ve hidden the positions in a clock face. CRACK THIS CODE! Using the semaphore alphabet above, unlock the message hidden in these clock faces. “Explorer Academy” Cruz’s dad is missing. CHECK OUT THE BOOK! BREAK MORE CODES! ExplorerAcademy.com…

BOO-TIFUL BAT COSTUME Help keep the Earth healthy by ditching some plastic items. This month, make your own Halloween costume instead of buying a store-bought getup. Plastic packaging can wind up in streams and rivers, where it might entangle animals. MATERIALS • Measuring tape• A rectangle of black fabric about 6 feet by 3 feet• Black marker• Scissors• Hot-glue gun • String or twine • About a foot of cardboard • Black paint or black felt • 2 bobby pins STEPS 1 Ask a parent or friend to use a measuring tape to find the distance between your fingertips when your arms are outstretched from your sides. Cut a rectangle of fabric that is the length of your wingspan by about 3 feet wide. 2 Fold the fabric in half…